A performance monitoring apparatus, also known as a ‘sports performance monitoring apparatus’, ‘sports monitor’ or ‘sports computer’ in short, is typically configured to collect performance and/or physiological data of a person while doing sports or other physical exercises, and to analyze the collected data to provide feedback information to a user. Typical feedback information usually includes performance indicators and/or physiological conditions of a user. Typically collected performance indicators include, for example, physical performance data such as running speed, acceleration, step width, and running cadence in the case of a runner's computer; cycling speed, cycling cadence, and cycling power in the case of a bicycle computer; stroke count, stroke time, stroke count per lap, swimming speed, and stroke span in the case of a swimmer's computer.
Typically collected physiological data include, for example, heart-rate, electrocardiogram (“ECG”) signals, blood pressure, blood sugar, blood oxygen level of a sportsperson when performing physical exercise. The collected data may be used for analyzing the physical performance characteristics of a sportsperson to tailor make training programs, to evaluate the strength and weakness, to understand the physiological behaviors, patterns, and/or to evaluate or extrapolate the physiological and performance limits of the sportsperson.
In order to provide more comprehensive information for evaluation, extrapolation and correlation, sports monitors may also include peripheral accessories such as barometer, compass, humidity meter, tilt meter, wind meter, GPS, etc to provide environmental or geographic information.
Mobile sports monitors are usually carried by a sportsperson either on the body or on a moving object powered by the sportsperson. As such, they are compact and lightweight in order to minimize the deadweight and motion resistance. For example, a typically good bicycle computer would weigh less than 80 grams and occupies less than 30 cm3, which is of about bite-size.
Due to these general constraints, a mobile sports monitor is usually equipped with only minimum or essential components necessary to perform the minimum specific functionality, and do not provide other useful or cosmetic functions. For example, a typical mobile performance monitor usually only includes a basic micro-controller with built-in memory for data logging and display. The logged data are usually overwritten when new data are logged, as the available memory space is severely limited. The micro-controller is only a simple micro-processor programmed with basic functions for power saving, and the display is typically a monochrome dot-matrix LCD display adapted primarily for simple textual display. However, such minimum functionality may not meet the requirements of the more sophisticated sportspersons or their support team such as the coach or crew members. For example, a sports monitor with a small memory could not store and log enough data for comprehensive sports performance profile analysis. Yet, a substantial increase in memory space and processing power would have a consequence of a more bulky monitor, a more powerful processor, a more powerful battery and a more expensive device.
In light of the above, it would be appreciated that traditional sports monitors are always a product of compromise which is adapted to strike a balance among costs, compactness and performance.
Furthermore, a sports computer is typically customized for operation with a designated sensor for detecting the characteristic motion of a specific sport. As such, different sports computers will have to be used for different sports and this means a sports person will have to carry several bulky and expensive sports computers if high performance sports computers are required.
Therefore, it would be advantageous if there could be provided sports monitors that would mitigate the functionality limitations of conventional apparatus while maintaining the advantages of a special purpose device, such as low cost, low-weight, easy to use and compact.